Luke O’Brien has taken a long sabbatical from his teaching job in Dublin and is back living at the family farm beside the river in Waterford. Though only in his mid-thirties, he seems like a man of sorrows, often dwelling on the loss of parents, aunts and romantic relationships with both men and women. He takes quiet pleasure in food, the company of pets, and books, including his extensive collection on James Joyce, about whom he’d like to write a tome of his own. The novel’s very gentle crisis comes when Luke falls for Ruth and it emerges that her late father ruined his beloved Aunt Ellen’s reputation.

At this point a troubled Luke is driven into 100+ pages of sinuous contemplation, a bravura section of short fragments headed by questions. Rather like a catechism, it’s a playful way of organizing his thoughts and likely more than a little Joycean in approach – I’ve read Portrait of the Artist and Dubliners but not Ulysses or Finnegans Wake, so I feel less than able to comment on the literary ventriloquism, but I found this a pleasingly over-the-top stream-of-consciousness that ranges from the profound (“What fear suddenly assails him? The arrival of the noonday demon”) to the scatological (“At what point does he urinate? At approximately three-quarters of the way up the avenue”).

While this doesn’t quite match Costello’s near-perfect novella, Academy Street, it’s an impressive experiment in voice and style, and the treatment of Luke’s bisexuality struck me as sensitive – an apt metaphorical manifestation of the novel’s focus on fluidity.

A beautiful story about a man living in his family home, and wondering where to go next while appreciating the beauty and peace of the nature around him.

I really enjoyed this story which once again proved to me that Mary Costello is an absolute expert at writing wonderful things about ordinary people. Luke isn't anyone special - just a former teacher with a passion for James Joyce, and someone who is loving and there for people who need him (his sick aunt, his elderly aunt and his mother). I enjoyed just reading Luke's thoughts about different things and the beginnings of his relationship with Ruth.

One of the strongest topics in this book is definitely Luke's exploration into his own sexuality and how he realised in his late 20s that he is also attracted to men, and would identify more so as bisexual (though his thoughts around gender and sexuality are extremely fluid). His conversations with Ruth about his sexuality and how he wasn't going to apologise for it was SO important and I'm really glad to see this in a book. Particularly an Irish book where some of the readers could possibly be older Irish people, from conservative, religious backgrounds, and who may have never been privy to such conversations before and could open their eyes and bring more understanding.

The last part of this book was a bit of a disaster for me as I feel Luke's thoughts went extremely manic, and I didn't enjoy reading that at all. It went on for a bit too long and it was just tangent after tangent.

I definitely do enjoy Mary Costello's writing though and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work

Luke, the James Joyce obsessed hero of Mary Costelloe’s The River Capture, feels like a character from another age and it took me a while to realise this was a contemporary novel. This is a very internal book (the reader spends a great deal of time in Luke’s mind, following his trains of thought about life). Ultimately, The River Capture shows how the love of home, family and the past can affect the present. An interesting and, at times, perplexing read.

The river capture is a geographical term where a river is diverted from its own path and flows down into a neighbouring river. I did not know this term until after I’d finished Mary Costello’s book. The lives of the characters in this novel are also distracted or diverted from their original path by tragedy, deceit or coincidence.

Luke O’Brien has moved back to the family home in County Waterford, Ireland after taking a break from teaching in Dublin. He lives a fairly solitary life contemplating how to write a book to do justice to his love of James Joyce' Ulysses and its characters. He is also particularly close to an elderly family friend Ellen who lives close by. He then meets Ruth Mulvey and from then the family past floods to the present and moves him off track. There is from then on a decline in his perception and sanity which is achieved for the reader through a stream of consciousness which works as both a homage to Joyce and a signifier of his mental deterioration.

I really enjoyed Mary Costello's first novel Academy Street and very much enjoyed this second novel also.

With thanks to Netgalley and Canongate Books for a review copy.

In this dense and visceral novel we are presented with Luke O’Brien who lives alone – with the exception of Lucy the cat – in his old family home Ardboe House in County Waterford. It is not the largest of the “big houses” of the area and the family have only held it since the 1920s but he can no longer maintain it properly. But living there has involved Luke - now in thirties – in a web of family and community links, and expectations that still provide continuity for him as his family have dispersed or died.
This tale is told through the eyes and voice of Luke. For a while he escaped the area to become a teacher in Dublin and even had a long term partner. But that has ceased. He carries dreams of and wishes to return to the city, but his ability to achieve that is slipping through his fingers. After compassionate leave to look after a dying aunt, he is now officially on “study leave” so he can write a planned book on James Joyce – a book that is unlikely to ever appear. Why Joyce? Through Luke’s thoughts in this book it is clear he sees his life, or more importantly his character as closely akin to that of Leopold Bloom.
It is dropped almost incidentally that the Ardboe area has a larger than normal number of families with mental illness. But as Luke’s ineffectual daily life is displayed in greater and greater detail it becomes clear that he is obviously in the depths of depression. Maybe this is caused by mourning that trips painful family memories – except that reading between the lines it becomes clearer that he is probably bi-polar and that is impacting on both his actions and thoughts which are given in great detail. It would be unkind to describe parts of this novel as like medical case notes, but Costello’s depiction of a mind with that disorder is so reliably presented that it is almost painful to read – the stressed mind is placed so immediately in front of your eyes. The stretching of time in depression is interspersed with hints at more manic or obsessive phases of behaviour. These are often given as great streams of ideas, memories or “consciousness” often embedded with his interest n Joyce and Bloom.
Luke muses not just on his present and possible future, but on his past and that allows a more detailed family history to appear as well, parents, sister and aunts of whom only one remains being supported by Luke, but providing essential stability for him too. We are shown the obligations, courtesies and copings of a small community with very few secrets, but with memories of old history and grudges than run across both the families and their neighbours. It also encompasses the wider traits of rural island too – its values, religious divides, economy and emigrations. Almost seamlessly these vignettes are melded with the lush current landscape – and river – around the house. A landscape that is seen by Luke as more certain and lasting than human life and emotions.
This is an extremely fine novel, although one that needs to be read slowly so as to appreciate the small jewels of detail and not be overwhelmed by the stresses of another’s mind so fully depicted. It is likely that those well acquainted with Joyce and his literary character would find even deeper depths of meaning that would pass the non expert reader by. But if you can cope with mental struggles (and often distress) of Luke then this will be a brilliant as well as eye opening read.

The River Capture is a beautifully written book about Luke, a man in his late thirties living by himself in his family's old, rather grand, house beside a river in Waterford. He's taken a break from his teaching career in Dublin to try to write a book about Joyce but instead he's idled the time away.

As he struggles rather ineffectually to decide what to do next, into his life walks a young woman, Ruth, looking for someone to give a home to a dog belonging to her uncle who has gone into a nursing home. The blossoming of their relationship takes up the first half of the book. The second half focuses on the collapse of that relationship under the impact of revelations of past dealings between their two families.

For me, there's not quite enough plot to hold the novel together, particularly as the second half of the book is written in a kind of pastiche of the question and answer format that Joyce adopted in the Ithaca chapter of Ulysses.

It's witty – Luke is, after all, a man obsessed with Ulysses – and it's carried out with a remarkable degree of accomplishment, but it goes on too long. The relationship with Ruth is forgotten. Instead, the novel becomes a torrent of imagery as Luke seems to almost merge poetically with the river

There's a reason why Mary Costelloe adopts this stylistic device. The book's title and its central image, the river capture – a geomorphological phenomenon wherein a river is diverted from its bed and flows instead down the bed of a neighbouring river – describes both the physical reality of the environment in which Luke's house stands, and the course of his life which becomes hijacked by the family history and by the house itself. But after a while, it starts to feel more like a long poem and less like a novel. That said, Mary Costelloe is the kind of writer that makes me remember why I love to read: ambitious, lyrical, clever and full of insight.

Luke is in his md thirties, a teacher at a Jesuit school in Dublin. He returns to Ardboe House, his family pile to look after his innocent Aunt Josie who has special needs and is dying. After his mother unexpectedly also dies he inherits the house and he takes a sabbatical from teaching to live at Ardboe, ostensibly to write a book about Leo Bloom (he is a Joyce obessive) but moochs around a lot with his cats for company, a bit rudderless. The narrative is rambling as Luke thinks about his past male and female affairs, his family life and history, connections in his life with Joyces. The plot becomes a bit more anchored when Luke meets Ruth, a social worker and they begin a hesitant romance. However, Luke's Aunt Ellen, who lives in a bungalow nearby has a spanner to throw in the works. After this the narrative becomes even more esoteric and frankly it felt so nebulous I couldn't quite grasp it.

In conclusion, I liked and enjoyed the first two thirds of this book. Some really insightful and poignant writing. However, I was a bit lost in the last section. I'm not a big Joyce fan and the constant allusions and cerebral nature of this section were difficult for me to appreciate.

I was sent a copy of The River Capture by Mary Costello to read and review by NetGalley
To begin with I was really enjoying this novel, it was nicely written in a very Irish style, but part way through the book the style changed and so did my enjoyment of it. A large section turned into what I can only describe as a sort of diatribe (though perhaps that is actually the wrong term) with there being a question and then an explanation, which I found intensely irritating and quite tedious! After what seemed like an age the story returned to its former style and flavour, which was a relief, but by then the whole reading experience had been spoilt for me. I really don’t know what made the author use this particular discourse within the novel, perhaps it relates to James Joyce’s writings in some way, but for me it was a real error of judgement – the 3 stars I have given it reflect this.

This book will bring Mary Costello to the next layer of Irish authors. Different, daring and expertly defined, it crafts a new story from a familiar setting. Some may find the interaction between this book and Ulysses off putting but readers who the Irish canon will appreciate this new take on a classic.

The River Capture by Mary Costello is a well-written novel about an Irish man called Luke and his relationships and memories and his passion for James Joyce.

This was a lyrical piece of writing but in the end was not my cup of tea.

I felt like it was written to be read slowly and thoroughly but my mind kept wandering. I wish I had enjoyed it more but I'm still happy to have read it and glad that it exists in the world.

I have never read anything by James Joyce, let alone ‘Ulysses’, but now I could almost believe I have, this book is so steeped in references to Joyce’s life and events in his characters’ lives. I loved all that and the way Luke finds his life reflected in Joyce’s writing. I spent almost more time researching Joyce and Leopold Bloom than I did reading the pages of this novel. Job done, Ms Costello.

I found the strand featuring Luke, Ruth and Ellen uncomfortable. I am not sure what I have taken away from reading this or what might have been intended for the reader to conclude. If the metaphor of the ‘river capture’ is followed, past events in Luke’s family eroding at the banks of his budding romance, stealing away the course his life might have taken towards happiness and fulfilment, then this is profoundly depressing. Then again, maybe this isn’t what happens, we are left to decide for ourselves how Luke acts. Nicely done.

Depressing too, though, were the references to animal mistreatment. I can see the point of them, given Joyce’s vegetarianism, but I skipped a lot of pages.

All in all, a book I liked and disliked in equal measure. Not one I’ll forget quickly.

An intimate odyssey into a mind in crisis – and the redemptive power of art and nature.

A broken relationship leads Luke to take a hiatus from his Dublin-based teaching career. He retreats to the empty rural family home where his thoughts turn to his past. His memories are peopled as much by characters from his beloved Ulysses as by his relatives. The present ruptures his isolation, but the chance of happiness is threatened by familial loyalty.

Costello’s writing is assured, lyrical and flowing. It navigates the reader like the river that is ‘something alive and benevolent’. The author's eye for the beauty and savagery of nature is sublime.

The River Capture lays bare the inner workings of a mind unravelling, and transitions seamlessly from stream of consciousness to interrogation. The mundane is rendered profound.

This homage to James Joyce has me determined to revisit Ulysses (and I might even complete it this time).

Hauntingly beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canongate for the ARC, and for introducing me to this author.

Mary Costello pays homage to James Joyce and, at the same time, manages to be completely original. Luke, a teacher on a sabbatical that might just last forever,, is obsessed with Joyce (and most especially Bloom), and also devours articles about science and the workings of the universe. He lives alone having cared for his aunt until her death, with various cats for company, his thoughts often returning to the lost members of his family, and the life they lived in this house. Life changes when he meets Ruth, a young woman who he feels an immediate connection with. There are unexpected consequences of his meeting with Ruth, that pull Luke in different directions, and we follow the innermost workings of his minds as he grapples with the meaning of his own life. A complex and surprising novel.

A glorious and engaging read
A well written book which was a pleasure to read
This was the first novel that I have read by this author but won’t be the last

Luke leaves behind a Dublin teaching post and a failed relationship, takes a sabbatical and returns to his family farm close to the River Sullane.
His solitary life now contrasts with the energy of a childhood surrounded by extended family and he dwells on his dead and distant relations, all departed except one maiden aunt who lives nearby.
His attempts to write about Joyce and his works, an obsession, have proved futile and his income need to be maintained. Just then Ruth enters Luke’s life but as their relationship intensifies, unexpected difficulties surface too.
A River Capture is a glorious and engaging read. A river capture it appears, is when two rivers meet, one can sometimes be diverted to flow into the other riverbed, much as Luke feels the direction of his life is influenced by events outside his control. Joyce and his characters are at the core of this book, as Luke compares himself to them as if they are real- and they do feel thoroughly real to him. This is a novel about love, whether familial loyalty ranks higher than romantic love and concluding on an uncertain and disquieting note.
With thanks to Netgalley and Canongate for the opportunity to read it

The River Capture, Mary Costello's second novel is extremely ambitious. Full of ideas, it goes far beyond its ostensible story-line, using intellectual frameworks, authors and fictional characters, particularly Leopold Bloom, as tools to investigate what it is to be human, while simultaneously keeping a narrative in place and playing games that will reward the well-read but not inconvenience those who have no interest in such enhancements.

Luke O'Brien is a 34-year-old teacher in Belvedere, a privileged Dublin Jesuit school, which James Joyce attended in his day, and Luke is, coincidentally, a Joyce obsessive. He has returned to the family farm on the Sullane River on a career break. The novel opens like a McGahern work, with Luke's ruminations on the nature of cattle and a visit by the neighbouring farmer who rents the grazing and who is kicking off a strategy to increase his longer-terms rights to the grazing.

But then the novel takes a turn into Luke's very intelligent and well-stocked mind, where much of it will take place as he considers Joyce and Coetzee, quantum theory, Schrodinger's cats and a host of other roads into exploring the nature of duality, of which he is very much an example.

Slowly and calmly, the reader is led to "placed" Luke as a laid-back teacher, unlucky in love, who finds it hard to take decisions but will soon be forced for financial reasons to decide whether to return to teaching, or actually farm his land himself. Then the plot re-emerges with a jolt, revealing a discovery Luke had made about a fundamental aspect of his identity and rather than dismiss this duality Luke has proudly embraced it.

There are a number of very well-drawn female supporting characters: Lily the cat, his aunt Ellen (returned to a house nearby after a working life in the US working for a privileged family), his remembered and adored aunt Josie, who was not all there, and Ruth Mulvey, the love interest. Tellingly, given the Coetzee/Elizabeth Costello animal-cruelty angle, Ruth arrives to ask if he will adopt a dog, which he does. The relationship develops in a very honest and considered way, rather than passion taking over. But then a melodramatic plot trap is sprung that would make John B Keane or early-Martin McDonagh proud.

Having hauled the reader back into very specific situations populated by very real people, Costello then lets the book glide into its most abstract phase. Looking back on the whole book, this section is totally justified but it takes a bit of faith to persevere for some passages as a distraught Luke sinks into himself and alcohol.

The significance of the title, The River Capture, is revealed as referring to one river capturing the drainage system of another and the two rivers uniting, though Luke is troubled by which river has captured which as he ponders "his" Sullane river and how it enters the sea, "the fresh floating on top, no mixing or melding, no fusion of molecules."

As the novel reaches its final torrents, it looks as if the several identities of Luke will never be reconciled, either. But, having endured a moving ending, there is another approach and, like a river capture, Luke's streams are reconciled.

This is a very stimulating book, in a league of its own..

Luke O'Brien has left Dublin to live a quiet life on his family land on the bend of the River Sullane. Alone in his big house, he longs for a return to his family's heyday and turns to books for solace.
When Ruth enters Luke's life he is besotted. However, her introduction to his family does not go as he hoped.
A family man, carrying many crosses upon his shoulders, Luke is torn.
This is a book unlike any I have read before, Luke is completely obsessed with James Joyce and it is almost like an homage to him. It is at times lyrical, at times raw, and at times completely savage in it's prose.
We witness Luke at his most vulnerable, fragile and utterly mad with emotion.
I found it hard to find the words to describe Mary Costelloe's writing, it's truly something else.